Fascinating Lucid Dream Facts You Might Not Know

A lucid dream can be a fascinating experience. It means that you are aware of your dream and can exert some level of control over it. In a nutshell, this type of dream is experienced more like an alternate reality than a dream. This is because you are fully aware of it and can influence it. Dreams, in general, are fascinating but often we cannot remember what we dreamed about when we wake up. With a lucid dream, your brain engages while you are still dreaming. This alters your state of consciousness within the dream itself.

When it comes to dreaming, there is a lot we still have to learn. Lucid dreams, in particular, are a source of fascination. Many are keen to know whether this is something that can be learned. Imagine going to sleep and having a dream that you are actually involved in and aware of. It is almost like virtual reality while you sleep.

Some interesting lucid dream facts

Lucid dreaming is a very involved subject and one that many people are keen to learn more about. To get you started, here are some fascinating lucid dream facts that you may now know:

First recorded by the Ancient Egyptians

The Ancient Egyptians were the first to record many things, and lucid dreaming was one of them. Well, one industry expert believes that the Ancient Egyptians were also the ones to first record lucid dreams. This was through their visual depictions of the soul, which they called the Ba. This was represented as a bird with a human head that was floating above the body.

Closing your eyes in a lucid dream can cause you to wake up

Some people have reported that when they close their eyes in the dream, they wake up in real life. They believe that closing the eyes in the dream triggers the physical body to wake up, which makes this a great escape route if you do not particularly like the dream that you are having.

Twenty percent of people have a lucid dream at least once a month

According to statistical data, twenty percent of people have lucid dreams at least once each month. Also, 50 percent of people claim to have had at least one lucid dream during their lifetime. This type of dreaming is not actually a particular rate occurrence based on these figures. However, many people don’t know what it is and therefore don’t realize that they have had one.

Communication with others is possible when lucid dreaming

An experiment that was conducted in the mid-1970s proved that someone who was lucid dreaming could effectively communicate with others outside the dream. The man who was part of the experiment had discussed methods of communication before going to sleep and then communicated with the man conducting the experiment through eye movements, which had already been agreed while the subject was still awake.

You can improve memory and intensity of dreams through increased vitamin B6 levels

We all know that different vitamins can benefit us in different ways. One thing that you may be interested to know is that an increase in vitamin B6 levels can increase your memory and intensity of your dreams. In a study conducted in 2002, subjects that had been given higher levels of this vitamin reported having dreams that were more vivid, memorable, colorful, and realistic.

Lucid dreaming may be a unique state of consciousness

Some experts believe that lucid dreaming could be a totally separate state of consciousness to any other that we are already aware of. They believe that this is a unique state of consciousness that, along with other states, can be mapped out.

Lucid dreaming was used by Buddhist monks

Many centuries ago, a form of lucid dreaming was created by Buddhists in Tibet and used by Buddhist monks as part of their path to enlightenment. The practice is known as dream yoga and is classed as a form of lucid dreaming. They believe that meditation during lucid dreaming enables them to benefit from a pure form of conscious awareness.

Can you learn how to do it?

This is a question that many people are interested in knowing the answer to, as many would love to experience this type of dreaming. As I mentioned earlier, some people may already have experienced it without realizing because they are unfamiliar with what lucid dreaming actually is.

Well, experts believe that lucid dreaming can be learned, as they think that everyone has the ability to become conscious of their dreams. Lucid dreaming is common amongst children but can also be more common amongst certain groups such as those with Parkinson’s Disease.

According to reports, you need to practice recognition of the dream state in order to lucid dream on demand. This includes focusing your mind, visualizing, encourage self-awareness while dreaming, and develop mnemonic techniques. Practicing these steps just prior to going to sleep is thought to boost the chances of lucid dreaming.

Studies have also shown that those that participated in learning about lucid dreaming were able to achieve the goal of having one of these dreams within 3-21 days on average. Continued learning and practice are therefore considered a key part of learning how to have lucid dreams.

Conclusion

As you can see, lucid dreaming can be a fascinating experience. It is something that many people would love to experience for themselves and some are lucky enough to lucid dream on a regular basis. The good news is that, according to experts, you can learn how to start lucid dreaming. It may take a while to hone your skills and learn the techniques. However, when you do it is possible to enjoy dreams that are more like an alternate reality than a dream.

With these dreams you don’t experience that distant and fuzzy sensation when you wake up – the one where you cannot remember what you dreamed about. Instead, you can enjoy vivid dreams over which you have some level of control.